Tim R. has an interesting way of utilizing the space in his garage. He has set up a machine shop which he uses to design and build physics apparatus for science demonstrations. He also uses it for the occasional job for friends and neighbors. You can see some of his projects here: http://citizenscientistsleague.com. Just enter “Raney” or “Bald Engineer Guy”.

Well over a year ago, he decided to get some garage flooring for his shop. Initially, he was using an “inexpensive foam matting from a home center” but it made moving his table saw difficult and the flooring was starting to show its age. So he searched around and found Greatmats.

In stages, he has slowly floored most of his garage with our Modular Garage Floor Tile-Snap Coin. He uses industrial anti-fatigue mats to cover the rest.

Snap Coin tiles are a great flooring for both garages and workshops because they are extremely durable and resistant to many chemicals and petroleum based products. The tiles measure 12″ x 12″ and come in seven colors.

“The installation was easy,” Tim says. “Just remember to orient the mats per the instructions on the box. As simple as it was to install, I forgot that a time or two. So I kept the instructions nearby.”

Snap Coin Tiles are simple to install because they require no adhesive. This is also convenient should you ever decide to move your shop. Simply pack them up and bring them with you. These industrial tiles are tough enough to assemble multiple times without damaging the connection tabs. They are warrantied for ten years.

“I modified some of the tiles to fit around ‘obstructions’ like the metal stock rack. It was quick work to cut a tile to size on the band saw. The biggest challenge was installing the tiles under two heavy workbenches. Both are heavy-duty workbenches you’ll find in an industrial setting. However, with a crowbar, a six-ton capacity hydraulic jack and blocks of wood, I installed the tiles under each bench. Likely not a typical installation.”

For wall-to-wall installations, most people will use a table saw to cut the floor tiles to fit their room. We would recommend a finishing blade. Also, you might want to keep a can of lubricating oil handy so the blade doesn’t gum up from the plastic when it gets hot. A quick sand over the cut edge will remove any ragged edging.

Tim also told us, “snapping the tiles together goes quickly-quicker if you use a rubber mallet vs. pressing them into place. The plastic tiles are very rugged and a mallet won’t damage them.”

(Ed. note: This is true. Floors built of these tiles can support up to 50,000 lbs!)

“I didn’t track the time. but I suppose you could do a 20×20′ garage floor in four hours or maybe less without obstructions. The plastic tiles are a quality product and are well-suited to my needs. They don’t have a car running over them but a heavy table saw with steel wheels that gets moved a lot. There’s really no apparent wear after over a year. I like the flooring since it makes the shop brighter vs. the old cement floor.”

We asked Tim if he’d buy the garage floor tiles again.

“Since this flooring was done in stages, I made multiple purchases with one part of the shop completed…After I tiled almost half the shop, I wanted to see how well the tiles held up. It all worked very well. I would buy the tiles again.”

Would you recommend them to your friends?

“I’ve actually recommended the tiles to others-it’s a good product-I’ve been very happy with it.”